Standstill on I-75: Armed, Suicidal Individual Causes 5-Hour Closure of Lexington Interstate

An armed and suicidal individual caused a standstill on I-75 in Lexington, Kentucky, on Monday morning. The section of the interstate was closed for approximately five hours while law enforcement dealt with the situation. Traffic was heavily impacted around 10 a.m., with vehicles backed up for miles on both sides of the interstate.

The Lexington Police Department (LPD) responded to a call at around 9:42 a.m. at the Bryan Station Road overpass on I-75 regarding the individual. FOX 56 reported from the scene where traffic was at a standstill and law enforcement presence was noticeable. A business owner on Bryan Station Road mentioned that such an incident had never occurred near his establishment before, despite its impact on sales due to customers’ inability to access the road.

A worker at Hi Acres Liquor Store, Prasanna Acharya, explained the disruption caused by the incident on regular customers who utilized the road for their daily commute. The LPD Crisis Negotiation Unit tried to calm the individual involved, who eventually shot himself with his own gun. He was rushed to a nearby hospital with severe injuries from the self-inflicted gunshot. Fortunately, no officers were forced to discharge their weapons during the incident.